


INFINITEA

by heartbreakpie



Category: Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alice in Wonderland, Alternate Universe - Future, Cameos, Cheshire Cat - Freeform, Established Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantasy, Future Fic, Larry tale, Lewis Carroll - Freeform, Literary fic, M/M, OT5, Wonderland, fable, storybook fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-22 01:48:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7413811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartbreakpie/pseuds/heartbreakpie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis had never been the kind of person to believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast. That is, until the morning of his wedding when Harry was nowhere to be found and everything just kept getting curiouser and curiouser. </p><p>Larry Tale/Wonderland</p>
            </blockquote>





	INFINITEA

**LOUIS LEANED AGAINST THE WINDOWSILL** of the of his suite and squeezed his eyes shut for what felt like the hundredth time. And, once again, nothing happened.

He had been staring at the sun with his eyebrows tightly furrowed for an upsettingly long time, and yet all he'd managed to do so far was make throbbing little red spots appear behind his vision. It was his last ditch effort to make himself cry before the ceremony and, like all his previous attempts, it was failing miserably.

His fingertips reels of onion thanks to attempt number one. His thighs were stinging from where he'd tried to pull out his leg hair from attempt number two. He even ordered the movie _UP_ from the pay-per-view tp his room only to watch the first ten minutes for attempt number three. And still Louis' eyes were bone dry and now quite possibly semi-blinded thanks to his desperately ill-advised attempt number four.

He knew for certain that when the music cued them up and a hush fell over the gardens of the private vineyard, Harry would start to sob like it his new life as a husband depended on it. So Louis too was absolutely determined to cry on his wedding day. But now he was out of a ideas and nearly out of time.

Louis had never been the emotional type. Mouthy and prickly, yes. Boisterous and mischievous, absolutely. But emotional? He couldn't recall the last time he cried, even as a child. He's always been more inclined to get haughty and frustrated before tearing up, and now that skill has come to bite him in the ass.

Harry, on the other hand, had been a basket case since the day of their engagement. Though he was always one to wear his soft, malleable heart on his sleeve, it was like their official betrothal had unlocked a hidden river of tears deep below the surface of his already sensitive exterior. And once opened, it could never be closed again. Granted, their relationship had been a long time coming, riddled with setbacks and strife in leaps and bounds; being thrust into the public eye as teenagers made absolutely sure of that. Louis didn't blame him at all for being so overcome now that things were finally falling into place. He just got better at finding the tissues.

Harry cried when they got their first RSVP reply in the post - from James, naturally, despite them asking him to officiate the ceremony months earlier.

He sniffled incessantly when they picked out their monogram towels for their registry.

" _H & L_," Harry had read out loud. " _Isn't that the most beautiful thing you've ever seen in your life_?" Harry had hugged the towels to his chest like they were already treasures as Louis watched his eyes grow into shining full moons.

When they finally decided on a tasteful nautical theme, and Louis showed him the ornate rope and anchor for their invitations, Harry went into such a state he could barely speak. He sobbed into Louis' shoulder, bending over him like tree branch and balling up Louis' t-shirt in his fists. " _It's like we're_ _tied up like, like, like.... two ships, Lou!_ "

Louis loved Harry's emotional openness and wanted to join him in it more than anything. Of course, he already _did_ share in all the excitement and all the feelings, it just didn't translate to the outside as much. Now that the day was finally here, he didn't want to be up on the alter in front of everyone they know, staring into Harry's round, wet eyes and looking like an emotionless twat.

He just needed one good tear. The kind that left a shimmering track down his cheek. Louis would let it slip right down to edge of his jaw before wiping it away, like he hadn't even noticed it was there at all. Yes. That's what he needed. He could picture it exactly. That's all he was asking for.

If the sun didn't work, maybe he could just stick a pair of tweezers in his pocket and pinch himself through the fabric at the moment of truth. It was the single most stressful thing he had going on at the moment, which, he supposed, was lucky for a groom. The lads had done a surprisingly excellent job at executing each detail so far that he didn't need to hover over them too much. Although, his to-do lists for each of them left very little room for error.  But it also kept them out of his hair, which was all for the best, really. He'd had ample time this weekend to do more important things than making sure the caterers remembered his siblings' food allergies. Important things like scorching his own eyes out.

 

 **LOUIS CHECKED HIS WATCH.** _10:14_. He still had over an hour before they were due to start. Although Liam was technically _his_ best man, Louis had sent him over to greet the early guests in the gardens. He didn't need him skulking around him in the suite and getting restless or trying to offer any preachy advice "being a real partner." Louis appreciated Liam, he loved him dearly, but he needed some serenity before the madness and that coils only come from being left alone.

Louis could also tell Liam was getting anxious about seeing Zayn. At least out in the gardens, Liam could keep a watch out for their most elusive and mysterious friend. _Mysterious_. Louis rolled his eyes recalling the shallow nickname bestowed upon their band mate in their younger days. If mysterious meant moody and unreliable, sure. Zayn had RSVPed to the ceremony, but none of them were certain if he'd actually show up, and Louis wasn't about to fret over an empty seat, even if it was meant to belong to his former best mate. he knew he meant well, and that was enough, so Liam would just have to fret enough for the both of them.

Through the open window, he could hear guests arriving in the gardens. The layout they had set up would start everyone off with mimosas, or sparkling OJ if they were a wee one. Then on to brunch-themed canapes and mingling between the Tomlinsons and the Styles families until their 11:30 showtime.

If it had been up to Harry, they'd have scheduled the ceremony at the crack of dawn. He said there wasn't one second he didn't want to spend married to Louis on their wedding day. They had settled for a brunch wedding instead on a private estate with a vineyard of sprawling acre after acre of lush, wild green. It was perfect.  

Louis stood with his hands on his waist in a robin's egg-blue waistcoat. He was only half dressed and standing in his trainers with his socks pulled up to his knees. His hair still needed to be styled and his teeth brushed. His suit jacket and trousers lay pressed and waiting in their garment bags on the back of his door. He'd kept his suit classic, tailored, and crisp. It was probably the most beautiful thing he owned, but he knew it would be nothing compared to Harry's. Louis had tried to guess what his fiance's outfit would look like for weeks, but Harry never budged on revealing even the smallest detail, except for the pocket square he bought for Louis.

"So we'll match," he winked when he tucked the accessory into Louis' hands and placed a warm kiss on the tattooed _28_ on his knuckles. The square was a pale blue silk, embroidered with a delicately calligraphed _Hi._

"You'll see the rest soon enough, love," was all Harry would say in the weeks leading up to this morning. He always wore a coy little smile whenever Louis tried to pry, the dimple in his left cheek on full display. He'd never seen Harry take an outfit so seriously in all the years they'd been together, and all of this from the man who wore a sofa pattern to the finale of the X Factor. Knowing Harry, it could literally be anything at all and Louis was already buzzing for the reveal.

Louis suddenly heard the tell-tale cackle of his other (or technically _Harry's)_ best man. Niall's laugh rang out like royal trumpets, making his incoming entrance known to all the land before the blown-back tuft of blonde hair appeared in the doorway.

Niall didn't bother knocking before coming inside. His white shirt was undone one button lower than Louis would have preferred for this formal affair, but he could let it slide this time while Niall was wearing his smart-boy glasses. He had to admit they made him look awfully sophisticated for a git, and thankful offset the fair bit of chat hair he apparently needed to display. 

"Aren't you supposed to be tending to my curly groomzilla across the terrace?" Louis asked with a smirk. If anyone had been a groomzilla, it was certainly Louis, which was likely why Niall had not so subtly requested to be Harry's best man rather than his when they gave the lads the choice. But that was besides the point.

Niall shrugged. "He sent me away for a while so I'm doing a lap before I drag him out to marry your sorry arse."

Louis smiled imagining Harry in his room by himself, his long legs kicked up on a chair, his eyes staring intently at the scenery outside but his mind swirling with any number of whimsically poetic musings. It was adorable, really. Surely, since it was Harry, a song would come out of those moments someday.

Louis turned to Niall and his smile evaporated at the sight of a frosty glass in his hands. "Is that a pint? It's barely 10 a.m, who the hell gave you a pint?"

"T'bartender did. I told'm I was part o'the wedding party and he didn't bat an eye." Louis knew Niall could talk a dog off a meat truck if he wanted to, so he rolled his eyes instead of arguing. So what if they lost their liquor license before noon, what did that matter? Louis just breathed.

"Everything alright then?" He asked instead. If anything had gone wrong, he hoped Niall had the sense not to tell him.

"Never better," he replied to Louis' relief. "You've got a perfect day ahead you both. Even Zayn's on route to make it on time. Lucky you!" Niall slapped him heartily on the back and Louis couldn't resist a smile.

"Lucky _Liam_ ," he corrected him with a wink. It was no question that Liam and Zayn would likely fall back on old habits this weekend with the constant flow of liquor, and the warm, loving atmosphere working to their advantage. They'd each brought their own dates, of course, but Harry, Louis, and Niall had all placed their bets as to how long it would take Ziam to rise again.

Niall chuckled and took a long sip. Louis was about to ask him for a swig of his own when he heard the sudden tinkling of metal coming from Niall's pocket. His eyes narrowed.

"Are those our rings in your pocket?"

Niall immediately froze mid sip and stared wide-eyed at Louis like a salamander on a branch trying not to be discovered.  "Niall..." Louis started. "Harry had those handmade by an artisan in..." Louis couldn't for the life of him remember the name of the man who designed the bands, but it had been wildly important to Harry so it was important to him too. "They should be in their boxes!"

"I didn't wanna carry the boxes in me pocket though," Niall whined. "They bulge too much."

Louis blinked at him incredulously.  "And your bulge is more important than the safety your best mates' wedding bands? The very symbol of their love and promises to one another?"

Niall snorted and then sucked up his laugh when he saw Louis' serious face. "They're back in Harry's room," he sighed, "I'll go get them."

"Thank you." It was Louis wedding day and, frankly, he didn't care if he acted like the biggest bitch this side of Yorkshire. He wanted it to be perfect for himself and for Harry. Plus, he very much enjoyed making Niall sweat, so there was that too. He was an easy target.

After a quick pop-in visit from his mother and sisters that resulted in many more tears (none of which belonging to Louis, to his chagrin), Louise and her assortment of hair tools barged in and demanded that he " _sit still for five damn minutes so I can do something with that bloody mop of yours!"_

Once he was suitably quiffed, sprayed, and polished, he found himself blissfully alone again. He checked his watch. In fifteen minutes and he was due out in the gardens to meet Harry for a first look. Louis grabbed his suit from the garment bag and began to unzip it. He moved slowly, savouring every tiny action and wondered what his other half was thinking right now. If he was singing softly as he buttoned up his dress shirt, if he was running his hands nervously through his wild hair, or is he was sitting calmly on the bed with Gemma and his hands clasped together in front of him, smiling like the goddamn sun. The latter was the most likely. For all his free-flowing emotion, Harry's could channel his nerves better than anyone he knew.  Louis sighed then and breathed in his own quiet moment of serenity before he went to take the biggest step of his life. Tears or no tears, he was ready.

"Louis..." Niall's voice squeaked faintly from the doorway breaking Louis moment of calm. _Honestly_ , Louis thought, if even the Irishman was on the brink of tears now, he might very well have to fake it on the alter just to save face.

"I know I look amazing, Niall, but please save it for the ceremony," Louis joked. "You can have my hanky, I evidently won't be needing it." Louis shrugged on his jacket and turned around, ready to strike a pose for his mate.

"Louis." Niall repeated seriously. His voice came out louder this time, but still strained until he cleared his throat. "I think," he swallowed hard. "I think Harry's gone."

Louis laughed out loud because whatever Niall was saying sounded like absolute gibberish. Then it fell quiet in the room and he leaned forward intently. "What do you mean he's gone?"

"I went back to the room to get the boxes to th'rings, and he wasn't there. So I went to Gemma's room, but she said he went for a walk. I looked around Louis and I think I might 'ave seen him heading towards the road, but I can't be sure..."

"Where's Liam?" Louis couldn't really think of anything else to ask. His heart was leaping like a cricket.

"Talking to the guests I 'tink? He doesn't know anything. Should we ask him?" Niall was asking questions like Louis had some kind of idea as to what to do.

"No," he said, "It's fine. Keep him there. That's good." Louis paced from one side of the room to the other and back again. "No need to panic."

Louis was likely overreacting. Surely he just went for a walk. But his palms were sweating and his blood was prickling under his skin. Something didn't feel right. He never thought this would be an actual problem that could happen to actual people, like the whole scene had been plucked from a terrible romantic comedy. There is no way Louis was meant to be the D-list character in this scenario, the one who is quickly forgotten about in the first fifteen minutes of the movie.

No. In fifteen minutes Louis was absolutely going to marry Harry Styles. Or he was absolutely going to kill him.

 

 **NIALL AND LOUIS HALF-RAN HALF JOGGED** around the estate unseen until they reached the edge of the grounds where the manicured gardens turned into wild brush outside the property limits.

"Are you sure it was him, Niall?" Louis asked again. Somehow he was hoping for a different answer this time.

"Positive," Niall said, "I'm sorry Louis, but I know it. He was wearing that fancy lookin-"

"Don't tell me what he was wearing!" Louis shouted. He threw his hands up to cover his ears. He was worried about Harry, angry even, but he still wanted to be surprised when he saw him for the first time. He knew how much this meant to him and even if he was an unpredictable wild card who ran off for _whatever reason_ right before he was due to get married, Louis still loved the shit out of him.

He made Niall walk in front of him in case they suddenly came upon him in the forest, all dressed and gorgeous sitting on a rock like the infuriatingly ethereal frog prince that he was.

They pushed through the brambles that enclosed the vineyard and fell onto a path into the forest. Though really, it was barely a path at all. It was a thin trail etched into the dirt, likely made from the soft repeated trampling of rabbit's feet that had worn it down after time. It skipped and curved around gnarled roots and jutting stones deeper and deeper into the woods. The daylight barely made its way down through the thick leafy trees above them and more than once, Louis had to pry a thorny branch off his beautiful new suit before it tore right through it.

"We are going to be so late...." Niall whined unnecessarily. He swatted at a low-hanging branch and fished out his gold pocket watch from his waistcoat.

"We are not going to be late!" Louis said, more so to himself. They weren't going to be anything at all if they were missing one of the grooms, but he didn't want to address that possibility yet. Harry had a whimsical way about him. He could be singing to the fucking birds for all Louis knew and he wouldn't even be surprised.

"Louis!" Niall yelled suddenly.

Louis shrieked and spun around to hide his face. "Is it Harry? Did you find him?" When Niall didn't answer right away Louis peeked through his fingers and hissed. "What _is it_?"

"Dunno. What is it?" Niall lifted up a small piece of cloth from the ground and Louis forced himself to look.

"It's a pocket square." he said and reached out to take it. Louis thumbed the small _Oops_ that had been embroidered onto it upon Harry's request. It was the only thing Harry let him see because he wanted them to both match. It was a blush-coloured silk, just faintly pink and so very delicate.

"Where did you find this?" Louis asked.

Niall was staring off into the woods behind him and pointed to the ground. A few feet away, tucked behind a some small boulders was a large rabbit hole, small enough to be hidden from view, but certainly large enough for a person to fit through if they took an unfortunate misstep along the narrow path.

"Christ, Louis, d'ya think he's down there?" Niall whispered.

Louis could faintly hear Ed playing guitar in the gardens behind them. He could hear the soft murmur of their families chattering to one another, awaiting the happy couple. He looked down at the hole and heard the faint whirr of wind tunnelling down the dark and seemingly endless drop below.

Louis' heart turned itself inside out. If that's where Harry went, then Louis was going to have to go after him.


End file.
